Ok, took the dogs for a hike yesterday to give manual/RAW a try. Thank goodness I shot in RAW because I had to do *a lot* of post-processing! We walked on a road with a lot of trees and the light was very stripe-y. My dogs are all different colors - two very dark, one dark with light markings, and one very light with dark markings. Anyway, I struggled with my settings and managed to get a few pics that I liked ok...not my faves but not terrible.

So, suggestions? I am going to go on the same trail again today, but it is way overcast so hopefully it will be easier...also, what do I do about when I am focusing on Kastle and then switch to Eden - do I have to change the settings or do I settle for some happy middle ground?

For the lighting we ALL battle this. I often just schuck my photos after this type of light battling. The best option however is to pinpoint your internal light meter on your point of focus and balance your exposure (shutter/aperture) at that point, then go back and readjust the background in production if it is too messy. So, yes, it takes speed but also it take patience of shooting 10 knowing one may be best. In this type of light I also shoot over/under (exposure) a lot because it can be hard to tell for sure which is best is best until you've uploaded them onto a computer.

When you're focusing on dog to dog you definitely need to adjust your settings, Shamoo takes completely different settings than Arnold and the Malinois, and there are even some smaller adjustments between those three depending on the light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FG167

Finally, what kind of focus do you recommend? I left it on autofocus but I'm not happy. I usually used sport mode so I had one little focus square and could choose what I wanted it to focus on - I loved that. Is there a way to do that? What if I want to focus on two dogs in slightly different planes? Do I fogus on one and then adjust the aperture? Then, if I choose to take a wide shot of the scenery, and I focus in the middle, will it be an unpleasant shot? Help me!

You'll need to change your focal point, I explained it in the other thread for canon users but Nikon will be reverse usually. If you want to focus on two dogs on different plains you'll need to open your DoF (bigger aperture number).

As for where to focus it's recommended to follow the rule of thirds, it's generally the most pleasing to the eye. Rules are meant to be broken but you can only purposefully break rules if you understand them. (Try this for a starter place)

I have nothing to offer in terms of picture-taking as I'm still trying to get a grasp on it all, but I LOVE seeing pics of your crew. Limit is getting SO big, Kastle just has the most lovely expressions, and I love Eden. She's beautiful <3

I think you do a great job of capturing your dogs' personalities in your photos.

As for where to focus it's recommended to follow the rule of thirds, it's generally the most pleasing to the eye. Rules are meant to be broken but you can only purposefully break rules if you understand them. (Try this for a starter place)

Lastly... HOLY LEGS! When did Limit sprout those??

Hm, I never heard this rule. I went overboard with it today to see what I though, nothing like giving it all a try!

I don't know! I feel like I took photos and was not at all expecting what I saw when I uploaded them. He doesn't seem so leggy in real life...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finkie_Mom

I think you do a great job of capturing your dogs' personalities in your photos.

Thank you! This is really what I am trying to achieve in my photography. I do want them to look good, but it's more important that I can look back on my photos someday and remember how they were - that the photos represent who they are. If that makes sense.

Brought out the camera again today. It was cold, overcast, and snowing. And I had a breakthrough. Part of my struggle is that I go by what the meter is telling me is good exposure, but I definitely prefer my photos to be overexposed. I had no idea! I took *way* too many, but I was so happy that they were starting to turn out into what I wanted. These are my faves...

Kastle went in the river! I was totally floored! Not only did he go in there, he went in there multiple times - and tried to catch fish! I am totally shocked! It was 25 degrees today...and snowing.

Limit was so pissed that Kastle was having fun without him. He barked, barked, and then finally raced up a downed tree to see what the fuss was about - thinking he'd be super sneaky and stay dry...and he fell in LOL